Darkness
by Cornrose0501
Summary: It's the story about Izumi's experience from "壺天の星". I used the first person to write this story. Hope you will like.


It's the story from "壺天の星". I want to describe Izumi's feeling. At there, she was alone. But I think I didn't do well on it. I hope you will like it.

Thank you.

* * *

"There are some things shining inside the well." I pointed at the depth of the well, and I stared at those things. I felt amazed and excited. They were like stars in the night sky. How beautiful they were.

"Really? Let me check. Well….I didn't see anything." My sister, Mizuho, put down her delicate doll and bowed her head to look around the dark bottom of the well. "Are you kidding me? There is nothing." She sounded annoyed and bewildered.

"They are right there! Don't you see?" Although I tried my hard to let my sister know, it didn't work. She could not see those wonderful stars.

"Oh, as you like." She muttered. I thought I was considered a liar by her. Whatever, I actually saw them.

"I want to go home, Izumi." Mizuho said. "Can we come here again tomorrow?" I looked at my sister's eyes and asked. "Sure. But don't let parents worry." She answered. "It's so nice of you, sister." I smiled and turned around my head to look at that amazing well.

"I want to figure out those glittering stars." I talked to Mizuho on our way home.

"Aren't they only something's reflection?"

"No. Stars only appear at night, aren't they?" I looked at the bright blue sky, and there were some soft and white clouds floating. It made me imagine the night. The starry night was the most astounding scene ever. I was so curious about what I had discovered, and I was eager to know what they really were.

The next day afternoon, Mizuho and I went to the hill to see that aged well. I soon ran to it and checked whether those stars were still there or not.  
"They are still here!" I cried in exciting tone. "So glad to see you are here." I talked to them in a low voice.

"I still see nothing." Mizuho walked toward me and also looked at the bottom. "Forgot it. Let's play with the doll." Mizuho went away and sat down on green lawn. But I neglected her and kept watching those stars moving and shining.

"Izumi, stop looking at that boring well and come play with me." She yelled.

"Wait a moment." I replied to her reluctantly.

"I will give you my doll, so come here, please." She begged me sincerely; therefore, I could not but compromise. We both sat down and played with my sister's, now it was mine doll.

Though we had a good time on playing, I still minded that well. I must be addicted by it or why I always wanted to see them. I continued to turn around to look at the well with mosses. I could not stand it anymore, and I had to find out what the matter was with those stars. I stood up and ran toward it with my hand holding a doll.

"Oh, Izumi, don't go back again." She yelled again in frustration. I might enrage her in some means.

"Didn't I tell you it is dangerous if you get too close? You might fall into it."

"Don't worry. I know." I raised my head to answer her, and at this moment, I touched the doll on the mouth of the well in accident. Thus, it fell into the well and I tried to reach for it. Suddenly, I didn't know why those stars were approaching me, and all my surrounding came into darkness.

Oh, I was falling into the well. Then I realized that I was wrong. I should listen to my sister's admonition.

"Izumi!" What I could hear was my sister was calling my name. The light of the sky was getting far away from me, and the unknown darkness was encroaching on me.

The last sight was the whole dark and silence. I felt afraid, so I closed my eyes. I thought I would fall into water and the water would get into my mouth, and my lungs, but it didn't happen.

* * *

I felt I was at somewhere, but I was afraid of opening eyes. I took the deep breath and opened my eyes.

I was lying on the floor, on my home's floor.

But here was always in the darkness, only a moon shining in the gray sky.

"How strange here is!" I said. Though I had been here for many days, the sky never turned into bright and blue.

Most important of all, there was no one here but me. The first day I was here I cried loudly and violently. I was so frightened and lonely. I called my sister's name, but no one answered. I felt despairing and frustrated.

Walking around in my house, I found that delicate doll then. Yes, the one my sister gave me. So I regarded it as my best friend here, and I would talk to it though it couldn't reply any word.

I found the doll sometimes would hide itself, so I would find it out. That was the game we played between each other.

With its company, I no longer felt lonely. We had each other.

It was to say that I might get starve. However, the meal often appeared in the room unconsciously. I felt amazed but it was the only thing to make me survive. It tasted so familiar, and was like made by someone who was important to me.

"How it could be?" I often thought of it. But I couldn't resolve this problem. Whatever, I led a good life here. I had a partner, meals to eat, and the place I could sleep.

Nevertheless, sometimes I would miss my…family?

"Wait, who were my family?" I said with a little surprised.

When staying here for too long time, I might lose some things, and some memories. I couldn't figure out this feeling, only I knew there was something fading away.

I closed my eyes and tried to imagine the scenery. Nothing but thousands of stars spread at the black sky.

I...missed something important.

* * *

"Izumi." That was a strange voice calling me. "Who is it?" I held my breath and watched. That was a man in the form of white fog.

"I'm Ginko. I'm a mushishi. Your parents asked me to bring you back." He said.

"Leave me alone! I don't know who you are!" I screamed and run away.

"Wait! Don't be afraid…oh, time's up." Then, he vanished, like the fog faded away.

After he left, I slacked off my nerve. "How did he come here?" I held the doll tightly and asked it. I hoped it could answer my question.

"Why he said my parents wanted me come back home? I'm here now. I am home."

Though there was only myself.

A few days after, the man came again.

"Izumi, listen to me. I'm not a bad guy. It's time for you to go back the real world. If you don't recall your memory, you will be left here forever."

What did he say? What did he mean? Why would I be left here FOREVER?

"What do you mean?" I went toward him with my courage and asked him.

"Your sister, Mizuho misses you so much. She wants you back." His green eye stared at me.

"Mizuho…?" I murmured.

Then I saw the man went to the backyard, and there was a pile of firewood there. He flamed the wood and the smoke seen alive. It was flying and went toward the moon in the sky.

I raised my head to saw where the smoke was going. And I found there were two vague figures beyond the moon.

"There, the circle is the mouth of the well. Your mother and sister are at the opposite world. You must recall them and you can return to the realistic." He said, but I just couldn't understand.

"Izumi, Izumi…" The faint sound came from that moon and it was calling my name.

"Who is there?" I looked at it clearly and listened to the voice carefully.

"Izumi, it's me. I'm Mizuho." The voice said.

All of the sudden, I recalled my memory which I ought to remember forever.

The speaker was my sister, my beloved sister.

"Mizuho, isn't it you?" I yelled and waved my hands to her.

I reached my hands toward the direction of the moon, and then the man opened his mouth. "See you later." He smiled.

The next moment, I found my world was full of colors and the sun irradiated on me. I felt so warm and joyful.

"Welcome back." That man was also here. I looked at him with astonishment. "Izumi!" The sound approached me increasingly. I turned around and my sister, Mizuho, ran toward me.

"I miss you." She hugged me tightly. "I miss you, too." I said.

Well, I felt I was really here.

I belonged to here, not the darkness anymore.


End file.
